"Prairie" By Bike Routes: A showcase of compositional skill and songwriting literacy
Devinney Rexrode | July 2026
Bike Routes is the alter-ego of multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter David Lawrence Osterhout. His sound is a mix of various genres, including emo, indie-rock, folk, pop-punk, and even some upbeat jazz influences, all mashed together into one, creating a unique instrumental profile. Osterhout’s smooth vocals come in like a powerhouse, carrying a velvet depth and rasp to it that keeps you wanting more.
In early March, he dropped his single, “Delicate,” which caught my attention as a new listener. I fell in love with every component of the music right then and there, so of course, I had to call dibs on the release of his new album, “Prairie”.
One of my favorite things about this release is its lyrical makeup; it feels like the instrumentals are a mix of being both chaotic and also well composed, and the lyrics are deep and written with a type of brilliant lyricism that is not too often found.
Osterhout’s vocals are velvety and raw, which just adds to the depth of Bike Routes' music. With a range of faster-paced fun songs about chasing your dreams and being in love, and slower and more emotional songs, this album feels like a complete showcase of everything he can do, as well as how he can’t be stopped from finding a new way to keep us in awe of his skill.
I really loved the song “Delicate”, obviously, along with “Homeward Bound”, “Runner” and “The Good Curse”. I love the structure and build of these songs and how complex they feel in the composer. The lyrics in these particular songs feel extremely well done and very eloquently worded. With lyrics like “Ain’t it funny man, all the things we hold at such a high degree, like apathy / I’m just a grain of sand, in some shorehouse sheets, you know / It’s only natural for things to end, so take that stage and bow your head / Cause I would die, some terrible deaths a thousand times over just to see you again” in “Homeward Bound”’, and “We’re running from something that we can’t explain and I’m pointing to the sky like it’s judgement day / Because I am understanding / Something cut me open from the inside out / Someone cut me open from the inside out” from “The Good Curse”, this album is full of heavy-hitting lyrical runs.
For BookTok lovers, I suggest you check out the song “Replacements” as it feels like a great friends-to-lovers or even an enemies-to-lovers song to listen to while you immerse yourself in love stories from one of those tropes. “And when I went to write it down, it came back to me / I watched eternity end, then one day it started again / I watched my whole life pass me by, and I felt nothing / You got me running in circles like I got nothing to lose / You got me running in circles like I got something to prove” is definitely a slow burn enemies-to-lovers or friends-to-lovers chorus to me.
“Prairie” stays true to the storytelling and emotional songwriting that Osterhout is known for to his fanbase, putting him on the same bills as bands like Hawthorn Heights and more.
Releasing the new album through Blue Grape Music, founded by David Rath, who has worked as the A&R for bands like Nickelback, Slipknot, Type O Negative, Killswitch Engage, Turnstile, and more, further maximized the album's reach.
As David Osterhout and Bike Routes make space for themselves in the music scene, I do not doubt what can be achieved with this level of creative thinking and ability to not only be malleable within their own sound, but also continue to always grow more with every release.
With an ever-expanding showcase of skill and genre-bending and blending knowledge, the sky isn’t even a limit.
Listen to “Prairies” here!
